JHMR Death?

Memorial Set For Jackson Hole Avalanche Victim

By Lauren M. Whaley, 1-07-07

Justin Kautz, a Wilson, Wyo. man, died Friday from internal bleeding after skiing off a cliff to avoid being swept up by an avalanche outside the boundaries of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Kautz was 25 years old.

Those interested in attending Kautz’s memorial service should go to the Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9. The church is located at 750 Seneca Lane in Jackson. If you get lost, call the church at 307-733-4382. Click for map.

Friends are also throwing a benefit reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Stiegler’s Restaurant in the Aspens. All proceeds from the reception will be donated to Kautz’s favorite charity, Invisible Children, Inc., which strives to educate Americans on the atrocities of child soldiers in war-torn Uganda. The group also helps former child soldiers transition back to “real life.”

Call Stiegler’s for directions at 307-733-1017.

I hope that his family and friends can find peace. RIP.

Justin was good friends with two of my lifelong friends that attended CCU. I skied with him twice and he was both a great guy and a great skier. I know that he will be missed. RIP.

This is hard to believe. Just like the others that have posted, Justin was an incredible individual; he was somebody you felt like you have known for years after spending 15 minutes with the guy. He was as passionate as an individual can illuminate. He left an impact on everyone he met. I even remember thinking to myself at one point that he has qualities I would like to have; there was a reason why he was loved by his peers, and he made me want to be a better person. Justin lived his life as well as he skied. If he were a professional football player, he would be known to the world as an upstanding citizen we all admire; a role model.

I worked with Justin for a short time while he attended CCU. We became friends and I traveled with him and others to Jackson while he was still in college. It was on this trip when Justin knew that he was moving to Jackson after he graduated.

He was an EXCELLENT skier and well educated in backcountry tactics. In fact, the only thing that sometimes annoyed us when skiing with Justin was his fatherly ridicule of our occasionally reckless maneuvers in the backcountry, which makes this tragic event even more shocking and devastating to everyone who knew him. He would get pissed when we pursued a line he felt was displaying less than perfect conditions. Even when we made our desired decent safely he would let you know how stupid you were. When it came to the mountain, safety was Justin’s middle name.

Coincidentally, his Colorado friends planned a trip some time ago for this past weekend to visit and ski with Justin. I debated my possibilities of going but had to decline the invite some time ago because of other obligations. We found out of Justin's accident the day before everyone was to depart for Jackson. His Colorado posse still made the trip, not to ski, but to honor a man we will miss dearly. They are there now, trying to cope with tragedy, trying to understand, and hopefully sharing stories with his Jackson friends and family he loved so much. If you guys raise a glass, someone please raise an extra one for me, eric.

It's really sad to hear when something like this happens b/c it was pretty much out of anyone's control. It's just one of those unluck things. RIP :(